Unelected Peer: Time to “Reverse” Devolution
Unelected Tory peer and former senior minister, Lord David Frost, has given the Tory game away.
In a Telegraph column, he called for the powers of the Scottish Parliament to be stripped away by UK government ministers, in a blatant assault on Scottish democracy.
š The Tory mask has truly slipped – they want to strip the Scottish Parliament off its powers.
š£ Unelected Tory peer and former senior minister, Lord Frost, said "it's time to reverse the process".
š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ The only way to protect Scotland's democracy is with independence. pic.twitter.com/rHx7Dp0wul
— Yes (@YesScot) April 20, 2023
However, this is far from the first time the Tories are undermining the Scottish Parliament.
They campaigned against the Scottish Parliament in the first place, even though a huge majority of people in Scotland ā 75% ā voted for it in the 1997 referendum.
Now, the Tories are stepping up their attacks on devolution. Hereās a timeline of Westminster power grabs.
The UK government publishes the Internal Market Bill, paving the way for a power grab on Holyrood
The Toriesā UK Internal Market BillĀ breaks international law, by the UK governmentās own admission, āin a limited and specific wayā ā and according to the Institute for Government, paves the way for more law-breaking.
The Bill is a shameless Westminster power grab and an assault on Scotlandās democratic powers, putting in place an unelected and unaccountable Westminster body with the ability to overrule the Scottish Parliamentās decisions.
š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ Scotland voted for more powers for the Scottish Parliament.
š Instead Scotland got a Westminster power grab, which can see an unelected and unaccountable body overruling the Scottish Parliamentās decisions.
š£ Westminster isn't working. https://t.co/bkLETL68v1 pic.twitter.com/IfPPUeiSsm
— Yes (@YesScot) September 18, 2021
The Scottish Parliament overwhelmingly votes to refuse consent to the Bill ā but the UK government ploughs on anyway
The Scottish Parliament has overwhelmingly voted to refuse its consent for the Internal Market Bill, on the grounds that it undermines the democratically-elected Parliamentās ability to legislate in devolved areas.
However, the UK government has blatantly ignored the Scottish Parliamentās will ā just like they have done previously on Brexit ā and voted to pass the power grab bill.
Instead of defending Scotlandās democracy, every single Scottish Tory MP has lined up to impose the power grab on Scotland.
The power grab is enshrined into law as the Internal Market Act passes
Under the guise of Brexit, which Scotland overwhelmingly rejected, the UKās Internal Market Act seized control of money once distributed to Scotlandās communities by the EU.
It allowed Westminster to spend that money on projects in devolved areas, which should be controlled by the Scottish Parliament ā without even consulting with Holyrood on where the cash should go.
The Act also shifted the power to Westminster to set standards on crucial environmental issues, such as single-use plastics.
For example, due to this legislation,Ā the Scottish Parliament canāt ban single-use wet wipesĀ despite the clear environmental harm.
šØ Last night, Douglas Ross and every Scottish Tory MP voted to impose the biggest Westminster power grab in the history of devolution.
š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ Independence is the only way to protect our Scottish Parliament.pic.twitter.com/e6ujxKp4pr
— The SNP (@theSNP) December 8, 2020
Westminster sacrifices childrenās rights to attack the Scottish Parliament
After the Scottish Parliament unanimously voted to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law, the UK government has taken the Scottish Government to court to put a stop to it.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jackās reasoning was that the UNCRC Bill would restrict Westminsterās powers to make laws for Scotland ā something which is more important to the UK government than strengthening childrenās rights.
It served as another stark reminder that only Scottish independence can guarantee that Scotlandās powers cannot be taken away at a whim of a government in Westminster.
š©āš©āš§āš¦ Scotland voted to protect and enhance children's rights.
šØāāļø Meanwhile, Westminster has taken the Scottish Government to court, trying to scrap those children's rights.
š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ Scotland can do better than Westminster. Sign the yes pledge at https://t.co/bkLETLnJTB. pic.twitter.com/99VqQmNQHw
— Yes (@YesScot) September 18, 2021
UK government short-changes Scotland with its EU funding replacement
Scotlandās economy, communities and young people are paying a heavy price for a Brexit we never voted for, but on top of all this damage, Scottish taxpayers had to pay for a Ā£3 billion āBrexit divorce billā.
During the 2016 Leave campaign, Brexiteers have promised Ā£1.5 billion a year for Scottish devolved services when the UK left the EU.
Fact is, all that was announced for Scotland is Ā£172 million. For every Ā£1 the UK government promised, theyāve given Scotland 11p ā meaning Scotland has been short-changed by 89%.
Whatās more, the UK Government has defined a series of ālevelling up missionsā covering devolved matters ā such as education, health and justice ā without the agreement of the Scottish Parliament, and without even consulting it over their plans.
The UKās Elections Act imposes Voter ID on Scotland against its will
The Scottish Parliament has refused to consent to the UK Elections Act, which introduces Voter ID in general elections ā creating an additional barrier to voting and risking the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of people.
The UK governmentās own research suggests that 9% of voters do not have eligible identification, and it disproportionately affects those on low incomes.
Against the Scottish Parliamentās clearly expressed will, the UK government imposed it anyway.
Scottish Parliament rejects Tory Government voter ID bill for general elections https://t.co/fmP5qMZHSL
— Paul Hutcheon (@paulhutcheon) February 1, 2022
The UK government vetoes democratically passed law in the Scottish Parliament
Despite the Scottish Parliament overwhelmingly voting to pass the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, with MSPs from every political party voting for it, the UK government is shamelessly overturning the Scottish Parliamentās will.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has enacted the Section 35, a mechanic never used before in the history of devolution, which has been described by many commentators as āthe nuclear optionā.
Despite having years to make amendments and consult with the Scottish Government over its concerns, the UK government has simply chosen to strike it down instead of engaging.
Put simply, Westminster is blocking this bill because they donāt like it, setting a dangerous anti-democratic precedent.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has since announced that the Scottish Government is challenging the Westminster veto in court.
šØ The UK government has launched a full-frontal attack on the Scottish Parliament.
šØ By blocking gender reform laws democratically passed at Holyrood, the Tories are creating a precedent for future power grabs.
š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ Share this sign and stand up for Scottish democracy. pic.twitter.com/bZMGqPYd2A
— Yes (@YesScot) January 17, 2023
Unelected Tory peer and former government minister calls on Westminster to āreverse devolutionā
Despite never being elected, Lord Frost has been a member of the UK government and has his position in the House of Lords for life ā with Scotlandās electorate unable to oust him.
Writing in the Telegraph, Frost said that the UK government must now roll back devolution, with UK ministers gradually taking powers away from the Scottish Parliament.
He also added that he believes Labour leader Keir Starmer basically agrees with him, and will likely ignore Gordon Brownās suggestions for greater devolution for Scotland.
The only way to protect Scotlandās democracy is with independence
Itās clear that Scotlandās democracy is not safe under Westminster control.
Lord Frostās comments are just the latest episode in the Toriesā litany of disrespect and anti-democratic power grabs.
Scotland can choose a better future than being undermined and overruled by unelected peers in the House of Lords, and Tory governments we havenāt voted for since the 1950s.
Pledge your support for independence today, and share it with 5 friends.
šØ Despite the overwhelming evidence of the price we all pay, Keir Starmer backs the hard Tory Brexit.
š„ Now, he's teaming up with the Tories to deny Scotland's democracy.
š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ Let's build a brighter, fairer, greener future with independence. https://t.co/bkLETLohJ9 pic.twitter.com/pLSK0ipISw
— Yes (@YesScot) January 5, 2023
